By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
LOUISVILLE, Ky., FEB. 15, 2016 – Courtney Williams stepped up on Big Monday with 25 points and 10 rebounds, but No. 19 USF couldn't overcome 20 turnovers in a 67-50 loss at No. 11 Louisville.
Williams headed into nationally televised ESPN2 matchup ranked 12th nationally with 21.7 points per game and powered the Bulls with her 10th double-double of the season.
Aside from Williams, no other USF player scored in double figures and Louisville (20-6) pulled away by scoring 23 points off turnovers. Myisha Hines-Allen matched Williams with 25 points and 10 rebounds to help the Cardinals win for the 17th time in the past 18 games.
USF (18-7) lost for just the second time in the past eight games and was again shorthanded for the rematch of last season's NCAA second-round showdown. Laura Ferreira (10.1 ppg) missed her sixth consecutive game with an injury.
Despite missing a key piece in the lineup, USF still found a way to grab a five-point lead late in the second quarter before Louisville seized the momentum with a 9-0 run.
“I thought after the first half, you think it's a good game and the third quarter it just got away from us,” head coach Jose Fernandez said.
Hines-Allen and Mariya Moore combined for 22 points to help Louisville build a 31-27 lead by the end of the first half that went back and forth with nine lead changes.
Williams powered the Bulls' offense with 13 points and Kitija Laksa's jumper spotted USF a 27-22 lead with 1:58 remaining in the second quarter. Louisville closed the half on a 9-0 run that was capped off by Arica Carter's 3-pointer in the final seconds.
“That was huge. How they closed the second quarter led to what happened,” Fernandez said.
Louisville had a seven-point lead midway through the third quarter, when USF stormed back with a 5-0 run and Williams' 3-pointer cut the deficit to 43-41 with 3:27 remaining. Louisville closed the quarter on a 9-2 run and Hines-Allen's jumper gave the Cardinals a 58-43 lead with 8:45 left in the game.
Williams' mid-range jumper cut the Louisville lead to 61-49 with 4:53 to go, but that's as close as the Bulls got the rest of the way.
“In the third and fourth quarter, (Louisville) came up with critical offensive rebounds and they got stops,” Fernandez said. “I thought they really did a good job defending us.”
Monday marked the first time Laksa failed to score in double figures since Jan. 17 against East Carolina. The freshman standout from Latvia scored six points and didn't make a 3-pointer for the first time since Dec. 30 against then-No. 8 Mississippi State.
Sophomore guard Laia Flores (Spain) scored seven points on a night that saw the Bulls attempt just six free throws. USF came in ranking third nationally in free throw percentage (79.2) with 15.8 free throws made per outing.
Senior forward Alisia Jenkins (Statesboro, Ga.) grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds to help the Bulls finish with a 39-34 edge on the boards.
USF returns to the Sun Dome to host conference foe Memphis on Sunday at noon (TV: ESPNU). The Bulls will look to even the season series with the Tigers after dropping an 88-87 decision in Tennessee on Jan. 20. Reserve your seats for the USF-Memphis showdown at USFBullsTix.com.
The Bulls continue to climb in the polls, and have reached their highest rankings in program history. USF has been ranked as highly as No. 15 in the Associated Press poll and No. 15 in the USA Today Coaches Poll this season; both are the highest rankings in program history. USF has appeared in both polls every week and placed as highly as No. 11 on some ballots.
USF has made 11 postseason tournament appearances and had three NCAA Tournament berths in Head Coach Jose Fernandez's 15 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to six 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 260 games.
– #GoBulls –
